GRANVILLE, Ohio (April 10, 2023) – Denison University hosted the 12th Annual James T. Glerum '82 Top-50 Scholar-Athlete Honors Celebration on Monday, April 10, at the Mitchell Center in Granville. The event recognizes the top-50 Denison student-athletes of sophomore standing or higher based on grade point average. They are invited to the banquet, along with a Denison faculty member of their choosing.

The banquet is named in honor of James T. Glerum, a 1982 graduate and member of the Big Red men's basketball team. During the event, each top-50 honoree is recognized with their invited faculty member, who is called to give a short introduction meant to illustrate the off-field aspects of student-athletes.

This year's top-50 class is listed below, and we are also thrilled to announce our special award winners for 2022-23.

Senior Lucy Anderson (volleyball) earned the James T. Glerum Jr. '82 Presidential Award, which goes to the senior who has displayed superior athletic and academic accomplishments in addition to service that goes above and beyond to the University. Anderson ended her career as the most decorated player in the history of Denison volleyball. In addition to being a back-to-back Third-Team All-American, she was the first NCAC Player of the Year in program history before ultimately earning back-to-back NCAC Player of the Year honors (2021 & 2022). She was also a two-time All-Region selection (2021 & 2022), a two-time member of NCAC All-Tournament Team (2019 & 2022), and a three-time First-Team All-NCAC honoree (2019, 2021 & 2022), and was the 2019 NCAC Newcomer of the Year. A three-time NCAC Academic Honor Roll recipient, this is Anderson's third year being recognized as a Denison Top-50 Scholar-Athlete. She was also a 2021-22 Denison Chi Alpha Sigma inductee and was selected as a member of the 2022 Academic All-District® Team by College Sports Communicators. Anderson is majoring in computer science and is a member of Denison's ballet club and sketch comedy group Sketchr's.

Annually, the North Coast Athletic Conference honors one male and one female as the recipient of the NCAC Scholar-Athlete Awards. This is awarded to a senior student-athlete who boasts a minimum GPA of 3.50 and has contributed significantly to the accomplishments of their team. This year's honorees, Tara Culibrk (women's swimming & diving) and Richie Kurlich (men's swimming & diving), were recognized by the NCAC's Executive Director Keri Alexander Luchowski. 

Culibrk is a psychology major, varsity captain and senior from Belgrade, Serbia, who in addition to leading the Denison women's swimming & diving team to its second national championship in program history, helped Denison win a national title in the 800 freestyle relay (7:16.35) and earned seven total First-Team All-American certificates (3 ind., 4 relay) at the 2023 NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championship. She was the national runner-up in the 50 freestyle and was third in both the 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle. She is now a 22-time All-American overall and is a 12-time All-NCAC performer and five-time NCAC Champion. At the 2023 NCAC Championship, Culibrk earned seven all-conference honors and brought home four conference titles, including helping the Big Red set a new pool record and NCAC record with a time of 7:17.09 in the 800 freestyle relay. In addition to being named Second-Team Academic All-America®, Culibrk will now be a three-time CSCAA Scholar All-American and a three-time member of the NCAC Academic Honor Roll after this year. Around campus, Culibrk is on the Wellness Committee, was an Aug-O First-Year Orientation leader in 2021 and 2022, and has worked in the Mitchell Center all four years. Culibrk certainly lived up to her "Most Promising Freshman" award received in 2020.

Kurlich is a 22-time All-American who earned six All-American honors (4 First-Team; 2 Second-Team) at the 2023 NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships to help the Big Red finish in eighth place as a team. He finished in fifth place in the 100 breast (53.85) and seventh in the 200 breast (1:59.11) at this year's national championship. He has earned 13 all-conference certificates, including seven this year, and has won four NCAC Championships in his career while setting a new NCAA Division III National record with his winning time of 48.99 seconds in the 100 IM at this year's conference championship meet. Kurlich is majoring in biology and is also a three-time Denison national team member and a three-time CSCAA Scholar-All-American.

The Lynn Schweizer Award, named in honor of Denison's Hall of Fame coach and administrator, recognizes the highest-ranking senior varsity female scholar-athlete, by GPA. This year's honoree was Erin Anderson from the Big Red women's track & field team. Anderson is also a member of Denison's Chi Alpha Sigma chapter, is a three-time Denison Top-50 Scholar-Athlete, and is a three-time member of the NCAC Academic Honor Roll. She is a five-time All-NCAC performer who finished third in the 800 meter run and helped Denison win a conference championship in the 4x400 meter relay at this year's NCAC Indoor Track & Field Championships in February. Anderson is majoring in data analytics, works as an ARC Tutor on campus, and is a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority and Mortar Board academic fraternity on campus.

The highest-ranking senior varsity male scholar-athlete, in terms of GPA, earns the Dr. Larry Scheiderer Award, named in honor of the former Denison athletic director. This year's award went to Charlie Fleming from the Big Red baseball team. Fleming is also a member of Denison's Chi Alpha Sigma chapter, is a three-time Denison Top-50 Scholar-Athlete, and is a three-time member of the NCAC Academic Honor Roll. He was the 2021 NCAC Pitcher of the Year and was also named to the All-Midwest Region second-team. A Health, exercise, and sport studies (HESS) major who was a CoSIDA Academic All-District® selection in 2022, Fleming is a member of Denison's Student-Athlete Advisory Council (DSAAC), is very involved with Denison's Mission 34 group on campus, which works to bring awareness to mental health issues, and played for the Savanna Bananas (Savannah, Ga.) of the Coastal Plain League before returning to Granville for his senior year.

A new award this year is the Student-Athlete Diversity and Inclusion Award, which recognizes a senior student-athlete who has promoted and demonstrated excellence and leadership in inclusion, diversity, antiracism and equity work within athletics. The first-ever winner of this award is Mikaila Carpenter from the Big Red women's basketball team and track & field team. Carpenter is a biology major, a chemistry department lab assistant, biology department teaching assistant, Mitchell Center student supervisor and Peer Learning Strategist who was also a volleyball stats caller for the Denison Sports Network. She is also the Vice President of Denison's Diversity and Inclusion Group (DIG) and has served on the University Conduct Board. She is a two-time all-conference basketball player who was recently named Second-Team All-NCAC as a senior. She is a two-time member of the NCAC Academic Honor Roll for both basketball and women's track & field, was a 2021-22 Denison Chi Alpha Sigma inductee, and was named to The Mortar Board National College Senior Honor Society in March 2022. Regarding her work with diversity and inclusion, Mikaila has always shown a willingness to stand up and speak out on the behalf of others. She is dedicated to creating the best possible environment and experience for all student-athletes at Denison.

The Town & Gown Award is presented to the Granville community member who has supported Denison in extraordinary ways over the last year. This year's recipient was Dylan Price and the rest of the Denison catering staff (Bon Appétit). Dylan's commitment to excellence and the detail he puts into his product allows us to recognize so many students, faculty and staff in a quality manner. Dylan and the catering staff create an atmosphere of joy that is much appreciated by the Denison athletics community.

The Alumni Recognition Award was presented to Denison graduate, Susan Leithauser '90. In her role as Denison's Senior Development officer for Parent and Family Philanthropy, Susan has done an uncanny job of engaging parents of current students and alumni in general through her visibility and attendance at so many athletic contests. Susan has been integral in helping Denison athletics achieve its goals through her work in philanthropy.

The Ted Barclay Top-Five Awards are given to individuals who represent the Denison athletic department in a positive manner through their ability and scholarship. It is named in honor of Ted Barclay, who spent 35 years at Denison as a professor, as a coach of six different Big Red varsity programs, and as the director of men's athletics for 12 years. Of this year's honorees, two are repeat winners. They are Cara Bodary (women's cross country, track & field) and Nadeem Jones (men's tennis). First-time recipients included Connor Brown (men's swimming & diving), Audrey Hughes (women's lacrosse) and Ari Fierer (baseball).
 
2022-23 Denison Top-50 Scholar-Athletes:

NAME	YR	SPORT	MAJOR
Erin Anderson !	Sr.	Women's Track & Field	Data Analytics
Lucy Anderson !	Sr.	Volleyball	Computer Science
Eli Aronson	So.	Baseball	Data Analytics
Nikki Barnas #	Jr.	Women's Swimming & Diving	Communication
Cara Bodary #	Jr.	Women's Cross Country, Track & Field	Psychology
Douglas Brooks !	Sr.	Men's Lacrosse, Football	Financial Economics
Connor Brown	So.	Men's Swimming & Diving	Financial Economics & Mathematics
Amy Chiero !	Sr.	Women's Soccer	Biology
Sydney Cianciola !	Sr.	Women's Tennis	Biology
Amber Croonquist	So.	Women's Swimming & Diving	Biology
Will Cunningham #	Jr.	Men's Cross Country, Track & Field	Economics
Tyler Distenfeld	So.	Men's Swimming & Diving	Biology & Biochemistry
Jesse Felker !	Sr.	Men's Golf	Biochemistry
Ari Fierer	Sr.	Baseball	Psychology
Charlie Fleming !	Sr.	Baseball	Health, Exercise, & Sport Studies
Daniel Garcia #	Sr.	Men's Tennis	Economics & Global Commerce
Morgan Gilmore	So.	Women's Golf	Biology
Ben Goeller	So.	Men's Soccer	Biology
Maddie Goodman	So.	Women's Basketball	Biochemistry & Global health
Sidney Gossard !	Sr.	Volleyball	Biology
Kate Griffin	Jr.	Women's Golf	Health, Exercise, & Sport Studies
Marc-Lennart Harms #	Sr.	Men's Tennis	Economics & Global Commerce
Cara Harty #	Jr.	Women's Basketball	Economics & Global Commerce
Elizabeth Hoo	So.	Women's Tennis	Psychology
Audrey Hughes	So.	Women's Lacrosse	Psychology
Will Hunter !	Sr.	Men's Basketball	Financial Economics & Data Analytics
Cailey Johns	So.	Volleyball	Psychology & Environmental Studies
Kerstyn Johnson	So.	Women's Swimming & Diving	Health, Exercise, & Sport Studies & Theatre
Gavin Jones	So.	Men's Swimming & Diving	Economics & Communication
Nadeem Jones #	Jr.	Men's Tennis	Art & Chemistry
Aidan Lane @	Sr.	Men's Swimming & Diving	Health, Exercise, & Sport Studies
Elizabeth Lyon	So.	Women's Golf	Biochemistry
Kirby MacKinnon #	Jr.	Volleyball	Global Health
Colin MacLean	So.	Men's Lacrosse	Financial Economics
Christian Narcelles	So.	Men's Swimming & Diving	Biochemistry
Maja Palmroos	So.	Women's Swimming & Diving	Data Analytics & Mathematics
Annie Pfeufer	So.	Women's Swimming & Diving	Data Analytics & Computer Science
John Platt	So.	Men's Cross Country, Track & Field	Data Analytics & Health, Exercise, & Sport Studies
Amy Pollack #	Jr.	Women's Track & Field	Psychology & Health, Exercise, & Sport Studies
Emma Pritchett	So.	Women's Swimming & Diving	Journalism
Annie Rau !	Sr.	Women's Lacrosse	Financial Economics
Colin Ravin	Jr.	Baseball	Economics & Environmental Science
Ellie Reiser #	Jr.	Women's Soccer	Global Commerce
Lauren Richner	So.	Women's Swimming & Diving	Global Health
Sarah Robertson !	Sr.	Women's Tennis	Health, Exercise, & Sport Studies
Sam Secrest !	Sr.	Football	Philosophy, Politics & Economics
Sydney Silverstein	So.	Softball	Health, Exercise, & Sport Studies & Psychology
Sophia Sobota #	Jr.	Volleyball	Anthropology & Sociology
Max Soja	So.	Men's Swimming & Diving	Health, Exercise, & Sport Studies
Molly Stewart ^	Sr.	Women's Soccer	Biology
Tessy Udoh !	Sr.	Women's Fencing	Computer Science
Abigail Yasuzawa	So.	Women's Fencing	Cinema

 
# 2021-22 Top-50 Scholar-Athlete
^ 2020-21 Top-50 Scholar-Athlete
! 2020-21 & 2021-22 Top-50 Scholar-Athlete
@ 2019-20 & 2021-22 Top-50 Scholar-Athlete